Ever wonder what happened to your favorite car? Some once popular and iconic vehicles eventually disappear without a trace. Today, we are going to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane and explore 10 cars that were once a workhorse on Indian roads, but are now discontinued in the country.
From family sedans to sporty hatchbacks, these cars have left their mark on the automotive landscape. Join us as we dive into the reasons behind their discontinuation and reminisce about the memories they created.
1. Maruti Suzuki Alto 800
Once the cheapest model in the automaker’s range, the Maruti Alto 800 was discontinued this year, marking the end of the legendary 3-cylinder 796cc petrol engine (called the F8D) that the brand had used in India for four decades.
With the new Alto K10 launching in August 2022, there is a pricing overlap between the two models. Maruti has decided to streamline the Alto range and focus only on the K10 model instead of retaining the less popular 800cc engine that is not used in other models.
2. Kia Carnival
The Kia Carnival was also pulled from shelves this year and was removed from the manufacturer’s website in June. In fact, by the time the RDE specification was rolled out in April, most dealers had stopped taking new orders, and only a handful remained unsold in the following months.
Nonetheless, the all-new Fiesta will be launched in India in the second half of 2024, and this time, the Indian version will be in line with international specifications and not lag behind like the previous model. The next Carnival will be bigger and fancier, and prices are likely to rise significantly.
3. Mahindra KUV100 NXT
Offered with only a petrol engine option, the KUV100 was Mahindra’s cheapest and smallest model at the time, especially in a 6-passenger configuration, with some versions also offering a front bench seat.
However, over time, the vehicle became quite obsolete without substantial improvements, leading Mahindra to see no reason to update the model to comply with stricter emissions regulations due to low monthly sales.
4. Skoda Superb
In June this year, Czech automaker Skoda stopped production of its top luxury sedan, the Superb. There are reports that the high-end sedan has been discontinued in India because the EA888 EVO3 powertrain does not meet the BS6 second stage emission standards.
The report mentioned that Skoda decided not to switch to the EVO4 powertrain because it was not practical. Due to this inconvenience, the company decided to completely remove this model from its product range.
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5. Honda Jazz
After years of sluggish sales, Japanese major car company Honda has finally stopped manufacturing the Jazz hatchback in India. The main reason for its discontinuation was the introduction of stricter BS-6 emission regulations.
Currently, Honda does not have a hatchback in its lineup in India, and the company seems to have no plans to launch a new hatchback in the subcontinent in the near future. Recently, there was news that an SUV offensive strategy will be launched in India.
6. Nissan Kick
Nissan has discontinued the production of the Kicks (mid-size) SUV ahead of the implementation of RDE norms in 2023 and the brand’s only remaining model in India is the Magnite in the mid-size segment. The Kicks debuted in 2019 to compete with the Creta in the mid-size SUV category, but sales were not strong despite its competitive pricing.
It was offered with a variety of petrol and diesel engine options over the years, with the 156bhp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine being the top choice in its class. However, since it wasn’t updated regularly, it quickly became outdated as new competitors emerged.
7. Honda WR-V
In addition to the Honda Jazz, the company has also decided to stop production of the WR-V, a crossover SUV based on the Jazz platform. The reasons for its termination are also the same. Sales of the WR-V were sluggish and its engine did not comply with the new BS-6 emission norms.
Honda decided not to update its powertrains to comply with the new RDE regulations, leading to its removal from the Indian product portfolio. The WR-V is equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces approximately 97 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque.
8. Mahindra Alturas G4
In 2022, India’s top SUV maker Mahindra Automotive stopped the production of its leading SUV Alturas G4. The SUV has previously competed against the Toyota Fortuner and MG Gloster in the full-size premium ladder-frame chassis SUV category. However, due to low sales, it was dropped from the Mahindra product range.
The XUV700 is now the flagship product of the Mahindra brand, replacing the previous model. During this period, it was equipped with a 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine with a peak power of 181 horsepower and a maximum torque of 420 Nm.
9. Skoda Octavia
Skoda had stopped selling its D-segment sedan Octavia in India before discontinuing the Superb. The same reasons that led to the discontinuation of the Superb also apply to it. The Skoda Octavia is only available with petrol engines in the country.
It comes with an EA888 EVO3 DQ381-7F drivetrain, which does not comply with the updated BS-6 emission regulations. Similar to the Superb, upgrading the EVO3 drivetrain to the EVO4 would require additional funding, leading Skoda to consider this to be financially impractical. As a result, this much-loved sedan was eliminated from its range and location.
10. Fourth generation Honda Civic
The main reason for the discontinuation of the 4th generation Honda City in India is the implementation of stricter emission regulations, namely BS6 Phase 2 and the new RDE (Real Driving Emissions) norms. Honda believes it is not feasible to invest heavily in updating older models to comply with the new regulations.
Additionally, the fifth-generation City is already available, offering more modern and feature-rich options. Despite strong sales of the fourth-generation City, Honda has chosen to shift its focus to newer models and discontinue older models.
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